It has been a pleasure serving as National Director for the past two years. I had the opportunity to visit dropzones across the country and personally meet skydivers, DZO’s, and Instructors from all walks of life. I have listened to concerns about the direction USPA is heading, and given my best to represent your views.

It has also been a pleasure embracing the online community. It is here I forged many new friendships and met the most amazing people in the sport.

During my term I took canopy education very seriously, pushing hard to implement the B license canopy proficiency card now in use throughout the world. Requiring a structured canopy course was a first step in continuing canopy education for young jumpers.

Feeling a disconnect between USPA and general members; I organized a meet and greet, for the B.O.D. and Staff, prior to each board meeting. My goal was to support local dropzones, speak and jump with members, and represent USPA in a positive light. Wouldn't it be great if we earned your respect through our actions as opposed to never having it due to inaction. Please stop by my Facebook page to see pictures and video. http://www.facebook.com/...607674497&type=3

I plan on taking canopy education to the next level by introducing more canopy and ground evaluations for new AFFI’s, implementing canopy education for advanced licenses, and organizing and encouraging canopy instruction standardization meetings.

I do not support a USPA demonstration team. I feel USPA should never put itself in a position to compete against its own members.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

I made my first jump in September of 1992 and since have accumulated 11,200 jumps. I am a current AFF I/E, Tandem I/E, and Coach Examiner. I am Professional Rated and a Safety and Training Advisor.

One important note, if you decide to support me: I am a current working AFF Instructor, Tandem Instructor, and videographer, I am on the front lines of this sport. My finger is on the pulse, so I can make an educated decision in the best interest of you the skydiver. I am not a DZO nor do I represent any one particular manufacturer.

Please feel free to visit me on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, or stop by my website http://www.richwinstock.com Also, take a moment and jump into the forums, we would love to hear from you.

On November 1st you will receive a blast email and link from USPA. I urge you click on the link and vote electronically. One click can make a difference. I ask you to support me in my run for National Director for the next three year term. In return I promise to be available to listen and represent your views.

Rich winstock for USPA national director. Now there is a guy I can vote for, again!

Mr. Winstock is a man of his word, he has shown via his actions, posts, votes and in his general concern to connect and make a difference for the members. I have spoken with Mr. Winstock on a number of issues of concern to me as a member, each and every time I contacted him, he replied in a timely manner and even if we didn't agree on the topic, he took my issue before the board. Not only that, he even made additional contacts to make sure the issues I asked him to address where handled as I would have liked or to simply remind me to make my voice heard to other sitting members.

Mr. Winstock is a much needed breath of fresh air in a stinky, stale room full of lifers who have needed to step aside for some time now. Thankfully this election we have a chance to fill the ranks with new leadership. We as members need to choose wisely in who we elect to lead us into the future.

Mr. Winstock has EARNED my vote and I hope many of you would agree and help this man keep his seat on the BOD, we need more people like Rich Winstock!

Got my vote! I don't expect Board members to agree with me everytime but Rich is accessible and has always taken the time to be open to discussion. It's rare that a BOD member actually attempts to represent the average jumper and I appreciate his efforts to do so.

Rich gets my vote. He is balanced between being progressive and conservative, is far from being a "yes man," and has no bias from other 3rd party loyalty or attachment. He is also an extremely active skydiver which provides a contemporary viewpoint on the board.

I have attended many BOD meetings and have not only seen Rich in action, but have gotten to know him and have tried to support some of his efforts from behind the scenes.

He has brought the BOD environment successfully to these forums, and has been quite interactive in that regard, which continues during this election.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

Where does this number come from? I don't remember seeing a survey, nor does anyone who I have asked.

Perhaps it should be reworded to "80% of respondents to a USPA conducted poll support the "....whatever it is.

I seriously doubt 80% of the USPA active membership has even considered the idea, much less endorsed it.

What percentage of active USPA members responded to that poll?

Also, I believe it is a relatively small percentage of jumpers who visit this site, and even fewer visit the wingsuit forums. That forum is often like preschool kids arguing over which crayon they get to use.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

Where does this number come from? I don't remember seeing a survey, nor does anyone who I have asked.

What was the question asked?

thanks

The survey was sent to the 'players' in the WS community, not all USPA members. I don't recall at the moment how many people that was, but it was in the 100-200 range.

A non-binding referendum question on this year's ballot asks USPA members to state their preference about whether USPA should adopt a WSI program.

To my knowledge, no one is against the material (written by DSE) but there are people that do not want USPA to implement the program.

I do not support a USPA demonstration team. I feel USPA should never put itself in a position to compete against its own members.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating.

In reply to:

I've spoken to Rich regarding both subjects and was extremely impressed at how available he makes himself and is open to discussion.

Rich is one of the precious few at HQ that routinely uses this popular website at a tool for communication with the membership.

You can't get a much better idea of what a group is thinking than to stand with 'em in a crowd and listen...

I've always wondered why many on the BOD are reluctant to do so. Rich has on several occasions in the past reached out to the USPA membership through threads here to better understand our opinions and our reasoning.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

Where does this number come from? I don't remember seeing a survey, nor does anyone who I have asked.

What was the question asked?

thanks

The survey was sent to the 'players' in the WS community, not all USPA members. I don't recall at the moment how many people that was, but it was in the 100-200 range.

.

I didn't get one, and I have been on all the official US record WS jumps and the recent 100-way. Maybe my known opposition to the USPA rating for WS instructors played a part in my exclusion.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

Where does this number come from? I don't remember seeing a survey, nor does anyone who I have asked.

What was the question asked?

thanks

The survey was sent to the 'players' in the WS community, not all USPA members. I don't recall at the moment how many people that was, but it was in the 100-200 range.

.

I didn't get one, and I have been on all the official US record WS jumps and the recent 100-way. Maybe my known opposition to the USPA rating for WS instructors played a part in my exclusion.

It was publicly posted on several personal FB pages on which you are a "friend." It was posted in FB "Wingsuit friends" of which you are a member. It was published in the public FB page Wingsuit World. It was posted on FB as a separate page, to which you were invited. It was posted publicly on Dropzone.com, which you frequent several times a day. It was linked on several FB pages, and you're as active on FB as you are here on DZ.com It was published in several blogs, at least one of which would be difficult to believe you didn't read. It was not a private request for feedback; feedback was requested via Twitter, Facebook, Dropzone.com In other words, short of knocking on your door or calling mobile phones, the Wingsuit SubCommittee did everything they could to reach out for feedback.

I would have thought Parachutist would have been first on that list. After all isn't it still our foremost informational forum? I don't wingsuit but if your going to use Facebook for surveys, e-mails, etc. I guess I'll just be out of the loop as it appears a lot of people are!

No not really Jim, in today's world I can reach more people and have something going viral with in a few hours, spreading it fast in circles of social media and reaching a vast number of people.

Where as with parachutist, I have to draft my shit to their format and then submit it, they will change shit around as they see fit to edit it, you know for space reasons.... and then we have to wait for it to print and then get shipped out and then hope people (members) will take the time to read it, then give enough of a shit to care about the topic and then submit the requested feedback. All of that bullshit can and will take weeks!

And as past history proves, memberships lack of partaking in the elections or the recent request for the industry to make comments on major new standards being pushed by the FAA that will shut down dz's and cost the industry a lot of $$$$.

And just like elections, no one really made an effort to full fill the request by USPA, on a pretty majorly important issue that threatens our sports future, unlike something minor as WS rating.

So if I was going to try to reach a target market, wingsuit community, I would do as DSE has done and in a matter of hours flood my target market, while skipping the untarget market so that the message has time to reach the masses of my targeted market.

By doing so it keeps the issue unclouded of non WS users rants and ill informed statements. Then once I had the issue before the target community a few days, it will reach the rest of the community in outlets like dz.com. This would help in mass education in a fast way while keeping focused on the subject matter as much as possible.

For example, and a really good one at that is Rich Winstock's use of these forums and social media, along with additional media tools, is reaching membership is a whole new way and he is accessible to all. Unlike others who currently running for seats but use these same tech -geek tactics to spread their election messages in a controlled format and hide from the general population. So in other words, they target those who are shoe in votes like those who jump at their dz and took course to get ratings from them. And you have to request from them to join some social media groups, this keeps control on who says what and selectively fielding questions. So we see these those kind of games all the time in social media and it's taking place in this up coming USPA election and the national elections too..... that is how it works.

There are a few board members that routinely post on this site and a at least a couple more that lurk but don't participate in the discussions because they (probably rightfully so) believe they will just get bogged down by the inflammatory pissin' matches which often result regarding 'hot topics'.

I've been called and emailed more than just a few times by certain BOD members following a thread I'd posted an opinion to...giving me their insight & further information.

So maybe in 'some cases' it's we who are to blame for the less than friendly reception given, shying them away.

OTOH...there are also those 'good ole boy-old schoolers' who look upon this site and others with disdain, referring to 'Internet skydivers' in derogatory fashion.

That's unfortunate because they are ignoring a really useful tool in communicating with the membership. Certainly not all USPA members frequent dizzydot & facebook, but those that do are worth addressing and IMO there's no easier way to accessing the newer USPA members looking for information.

Ever look at the USPA 'blogs' for current discussion on relative topics?

I honestly think that if the USPA as a whole would take the pro active attitude that Rich, Peek, Jan and some others do...and GO TO the places there are large numbers of members gathering, instead of being content to wait for a few hundred WTF emails to hit the home office ~ a lot of time would be saved and negative perceptions avoided.

It's been said that ~ Those who hide from their constituents HAVE something to hide.'

Maybe - maybe not, I will say though it's nice having leaders who make themselves available, who openly & willingly discuss issues of interest.

It's important we as the general membership recognize those who do, and thank them with both words and actions...VOTE!

I just got home and had to catch up a bit. Sorry about that. I was really hoping that this thread didnt turn into a wingsuit standardization bashing forum but I should have known better. TO those who gave generous comments thank you very much, I appreciate the support. I hope to re-enforce your comments through action.

To give a bit further explanation to who the questionnaire went out to: 1) Every DZO, STA, I/E (email from USPA and letter from myself)

2) A list of top advisors that was compiled from initially Taya Weiss and DSE and then each advisor was asked to forward it to anyone they thought could assist us and add anyone who may have been missed. This was a letter to all advisors from me personally. In the end I had approximately 30 people from both sides of the fence. I have every email from every advisor to include the initial ones where certain wingsuitters were recommended.

3) Here on DZ.com read the very first post under the thread in Winsguit. I explain it in detail and what we were trying to do.

I have become the poster child for WS standardization and maybe a bit deserved or undeserved. In speaking with members, reading emails, pm's, questionnaire's 80 % of all who I dealt with are in favor of this. I am just representing them. What people do not understand a BOD member is supposed to represent the MAJORITY of the members. Remember that "we represent you" So of course if a topic comes up that divides us I wll not be popular but if I am not willing to stand then I shouldnt be in my position.

Some might not know but when I was first approached with the idea, I was not very familiar with the program or the community for that matter. I traveled to Elsinore on my own dime and sat down with DSE and had him show me the entire program as it is in operation at Elsinore. I felt this was a good way to educate myself as to what was being presented. This was the very first time I met DSE and it turned out to be probably the most beneficial thing I did in reference to this topic.

This is just one topic, albeit a major one as of lately, there is so much more we need to do. If everyone wants to argue about the wingsuit standardization then go to the wingsuit threads all 10 of them and let lose. I took a step back for a bit to see how the whole membership feels.

You see I was critisized for not reaching out to enough people, or the wrong people, or the questions were bias, or I was bias, or the punctuation I used was bias. So I took the advice given right here on DZ.com. By the way the social media that was critisized at the BOD meeting for being a small representation of a large group. I took the advice and pushed hard for an opinion poll to go to every single member of USPA through our electronic ballot system and in paper ballot. It was passed and you will receive an opportunity to weigh in on the ballot.

Now whether or not you agree with the program or not is not the issue. The issue is did I do everything I possibly could to represent the members Nationally? If I was willing to go to these lengths to include time, money, effort, then hopefully that is representative of what kind of Director I am. If you jusge me based on not agreeing with the topic understand I am representing the majority.

Just a bit of clarification: as if that wasnt enough, I was then critisized on the question, what content to include, exclude. Let the members speak through the opinion poll and then we will re-evaluate. What more any one person can do I am not sure.

On Nov 1st you will be given the opportunity to select a new BOD. If the above is representative of how you think a National Director should handle a topic, any topic, then I submit dont judge me on the topic judge me on the representation and the means I went to include everyone on it.

I support a standardized wingsuit instructor rating. I spent hundreds of hours reading emails, reading questionnaires, and talking on the phone. Upwards of 80% of USPA members support this initiative. I feel this will legitimize wingsuiting within our sport and allow it to thrive in a safe and responsible fashion.

Where does this number come from? I don't remember seeing a survey, nor does anyone who I have asked.

What was the question asked?

thanks

The survey was sent to the 'players' in the WS community, not all USPA members. I don't recall at the moment how many people that was, but it was in the 100-200 range.

.

I didn't get one, and I have been on all the official US record WS jumps and the recent 100-way. Maybe my known opposition to the USPA rating for WS instructors played a part in my exclusion.

It was publicly posted on several personal FB pages on which you are a "friend." It was posted in FB "Wingsuit friends" of which you are a member. It was published in the public FB page Wingsuit World. It was posted on FB as a separate page, to which you were invited. It was posted publicly on Dropzone.com, which you frequent several times a day. It was linked on several FB pages, and you're as active on FB as you are here on DZ.com It was published in several blogs, at least one of which would be difficult to believe you didn't read. It was not a private request for feedback; feedback was requested via Twitter, Facebook, Dropzone.com In other words, short of knocking on your door or calling mobile phones, the Wingsuit SubCommittee did everything they could to reach out for feedback.

Doc, it -was- sent to the players in the community. The ones actually active in instruction, or the ones actively involved in the promotion growth and development in the sport. The ones who eat sleep and breathe wingsuit flying.

Not to be offensive in any way, but you are a university professor are you not? Your main line of work in life is academic, you've probably got more hours in a classroom than I've got hours, and wingsuits would be a recreation, a sideshow in your life, not the main thing you do.

The point is, the survey was sent to people whose involvement in the sport is total.

I -do- eat sleep and breathe wingsuit flying. I have spent the last nine years straight dedicated exclusively to mastering the art and I have found enough unexplored depth remaining to keep me busy for a lifetime. If I recited my qualifications by experience here it would take up half the page.

I -did- get one of the surveys. I was somewhat surprised since I really do not weigh in on political matters. I almost didn't respond to the survey at all till the last minute. I have avoided all of the sport's internal politics like the Plague. I wanted to stay out of the entire affair and just focus on flying, but with the insurance companies coming after us, refusal to get involved means I could wake up one day and find the sky closed and locked to me (unless I take off my wings and restrict myself to straight down freefalling like everyone else) and THAT, is not an option.

Either we take command of our sport, or -they- will.

A long time ago I went and got a coach rating. Never even used it for its intended purpose-teaching new jumpers- but it was the closest thing to a "real" teaching credential that I could get. I wanted a "real, legitimate" qualification beyond the stew of made-up systems and rudimentary manufacturer ratings we have now. I went and got a PFI rating at FnD 2.0... I was PFI#62 if I remember right, and proud of it. But thats as obsolete as a Classic 1, and about as useful in the context of today's suits. I took Rob Laidlaw's Skydive University course because I wanted to -really- learn how to teach and apply it to wingsuit instruction, and there is no mechanism to teach wingsuit instructors yet. Cut-n-paste between disciplines was the best I could do.

I let it expire because it fundamentally made no sense to have to do many freefall students every year just to keep a rating, when the coach rating itself has nothing to do with wingsuit instruction beyond demonstrating ability to teach in a skydiving context. The material is different. The students are different. A coach rating indicates ability to teach wingsuit flying the same way a motorcycle license indicates ability to drive a semitrailer- it doesn't.

Throughout the wingsuit community "you should have a coach rating" is often heard. On the face of it, its understandable, a completely unqualified teacher is a disaster waiting to happen, but again, it makes zero sense for me to have to maintain currency and expertise in wingless skydiving to be "allowed" to teach winged skydiving. A coach rating evaluates -nothing- of my knowledge and ability with a wingsuit. It will not show whether I teach tail avoidance, or gear assembly, or navigation. I could be the worst and most careless, useless wingsuit instructor alive but so long as I've got my Coach rating, by the "rules" we have now, technically speaking I'm "qualified" despite never demonstrating a thing about my wingsuit knowledge or ability in the process.

And so we have people out there, with coach ratings, calling themselves wingsuit instructors, who couldn't fly their way out of a wet paper bag or keep up with a tumbling student to save their lives- or prevent that tumbling student in the first place, which is our REAL job.

For the first time, we have a prospect of having an actual, wingsuit-specific qualification. Not something partial or made up to support the selling of suits. Official legitimacy and authenticity at last. An objective standard.

There are many of us, myself included, who would have sought out that wingsuit rating from the start had it ever existed. Now, we have the opportunity to MAKE it.

I don't particularly like creation of rules. Half of what drew me so strongly to wingsuit flying was the fact that I was exploring territory so new to human experience that there WERE no rules to govern it. If you made it in skydiving as far as flying wingsuits, once you stepped over that line you were on your own. I had to learn what the rules were myself, and I was keenly aware the whole time that failure to do so, thoroughly, might easily result in sudden surprise death by ignorance.

It made me take it very seriously, made me a fanatic about understanding it.

People aren't doing that anymore. We've made it look too easy and accessible and now that "everybody's doing it" we have mass numbers of pilots who take up the art and take it no more seriously than riding a bicycle. We have people calling themselves "instructors" with well under 500 jumps total, a few hundred wingsuit flights max, who barely know how to catch a basic flock themselves. When I think about how little I knew at 200, 300 WS flights I have to laugh. I hadn't even scratched the surface yet.

The USPA is not creating a rating to impose on us. The USPA is responding to our community's growing need for legitimacy by asking us to help them create it.

Rich Winstock can help make that happen.

I may not even apply for the rating myself once it exists. I'm not one of the people who would stand to benefit much from its creation. It may mean I have to put up with a good deal more hassle, a fee, and some sort of paperwork just to be allowed to keep doing what I've been doing all along anyway, rating or no rating. The idea grates on my nerves.

But we get input as to how the conditions are set. A rating made by wingsuit pilots, for wingsuit pilots. If there WERE such a rating, how would you like it? Speak up!

If I have to jump through too many hoops or pay too much, or if I find the conditions unreasonable it may not be worth my while. Maybe I'd quit teaching and leave it to the guys qualified to do it. But at least then, I'd know they were qualified.

For the first time in my life, on anything, I think I'm gonna vote. -B

Not to be offensive in any way, but you are a university professor are you not? Your main line of work in life is academic, you've probably got more hours in a classroom than I've got hours, and wingsuits would be a recreation, a sideshow in your life, not the main thing you do.

-B

Brian,

Not to be offensive to you or any USPA coach, but according to the proposal that has been in circulation, your 6 or so hours devoted to pedagogy in a coach course (which you pointed out has almost nothing to do with wingsuiting) is more valuable as the teaching credential required to become a wingsuit instructor than is a certified teacher's teaching diploma plus any number of years he or she spent in a classroom.

Rich most definitely has my vote. It's not often that a "Director" takes the time to meet with people, talk to people, work with people and actually cares about people. Having been in the sport for over a decade now - it has been a pleasure getting to know Rich Winstock. I've watch him work with skydivers from all ranks (students struggling to learn, seasoned skydivers trying to pull off various exits and dives, someone looking to downsize a canopy, etc.).

Never once did Rich ever say "not my problem" or "ask someone else". I've seen him get off of loads to help someone who asked a question or had a problem. I've seen him actually take the time to thoroughly explain things to new jumpers or seasoned jumpers when they had questions.

Rich, as he mentioned, has gone above and beyond any Director I've ever seen in the sport. I've seen him take his own personal time off to help someone advance in the sport (myself included). He's never not returned a phone call or an email to anyone with a question or concern. He's been a go-to resource for so many in the sport and has always helped in any way that he can.

I can say that in all of my years of jumping - in the early years, I never had anyone who cared enough to spend any time teaching me the ropes. It was as if once off of AFF/AFP I was on my own. I made many mistakes, ventured to various drop zones and just did my own thing. No one even noticed. It took one person one day to say "hey you, what are you flying? Let's talk about what we can do to improve you here"....and that was all it took. Rich transformed me from a person who "fell" in the sky for several years - to someone who can now fly and now even teach. Rich helped mentor me and always kept an eye out for myself and all of the jumpers -- even when under canopy his hawk eyes are watching everyone. He truly "cares" about the sport and the people in it.

He definitely has my vote. Not sure how safe the skies would be without people like Rich Winstock advocating for jumpers. It is not an easy position to be in - to be the middle man in situations where not everyone agrees - but I do think Rich is an amazing National Director and has done an amazing job this past term. I'm hoping he gets voted again as I think the sport needs caring people like Rich - someone who is not only representing the people in it - but someone who makes themselves available and truly does fight for the majority. He listens, A LOT, and he does go to bat and fights for what the majority vote wants. That is someone we truly need in this sport.